(Yeah, I know, it’s a pathetic title, but whaddaya want from me? It’s 5:30 in the morning after a sleepless night!)
Wee little Delaware had its very own auto show this past weekend, and I managed to eek out a little time for a walk-through. Susan took a bunch of pictures for me.
Nice Ferrari parked outside:
Just inside the main entrance were, among other things, a pair of Lotuses (Lotii?)
Sadly, after having a chance to sit in one, I’ve had to remove the Lotus from the List of Totally Impractical Cars I’d Consider If I Won The Lottery. I’d heard they were cramped and hard to get in and out of, but reading the words in a car magazine doesn’t convey the real sense of needing someone to lower you a rope to pull you out. Your buttocks actually rest fairly far below the door sill once you get in, so you have to do a kind of lifting sideways roll to extract yourself. There’s also a structural member that cuts into your foot space on the left and narrows rightward so your legs are sort of crooked and cramped.
Every car show needs a Viper, of course. The color of this one in the lighting provided made it look oddly understated, which is hard to do with a Viper.
The modern Corvette is far and away the best performance value in automotive history. Power and handling rivaling that class of vehicle know collectively as the “supercar”, but at a price that doesn’t sound like a mortgage on a pretty nice house. That being said… for some reason I have absolutely no desire to own one.
In the presence of a Ford GT I’m never sure whether to go with grunting sounds a la Tim Allen or Homer Simpson style drooling noises. I settled for prostrating myself before it and offering to sacrifice a goat to my new master.
Ah, the classics – in this case, in the form of a Shelby Cobra signed by Carroll Shelby himself.
This Porsche was notable mainly because it was apparently painted to match that guy’s shirt.
Among the more mundane new 2008 models on display was this Saturn Sky, which I kind of like even though it’s a Saturn, though I prefer its Pontiac Solstice brethren even though it’s a Pontiac.
A small show but a good start. I would like to have seen some of the concept cars that have been making the rounds at larger venues. I was disappointed particularly that the Camaro prototype wasn’t there. Sadly, I don’t know whether the show will be able to expand – I’m not aware of a larger venue locally that would lend itself to an indoor car show.
Before we left, the kids climbed into the drivers’ seat of a Rolls Royce. Aeryn (left) seemed content to wallow in luxury; Kate, on the other hand, was looking to take it to the parking lot to do some donuts.
